Back
to hair today, and it seems like an absolute age since I reviewed one of the
many products that get slapped onto my head on a daily basis. Today I’m taking
a look at The Charming Man Refining Cream, £12.99 for a 100ml tub.
A
couple of observations before I start – one, I can’t use this without humming
‘Charmless Man’ by Blur, which is no reflection on the product, more a
reflection on my own warped mind and secondly, my hair is horrifically long at
the moment.
This
is what they say about the cream over at the The Charming Man website:
‘Our refining cream consists of a soft, thick yet lightweight formula which is designed to be used on any type of hair. It’s based on a water soluble solution which makes it brilliantly pliable, giving you the freedom to re-work your hairstyle throughout the day.’
The
proof of the pudding is in the sniffing, and as soon as the lid is off boom,
you have hints of almond and cherry that only just detectable – heaven in a
tub. These notes are ever so subtle so there is little danger of you attracting
insects and the like due to an OTT fragrance within your hair.
When
I first received this to try some three months or so ago my hair was
significantly shorter, and as they direct, just a peanut sized amount was
needed to cover my palms in the rich cream. Rubbing it between my palms I
looked down (humming Blur – I hate Blur) and wondered how such a thick cream
would be absorbed into my locks, it really does have a thick texture but fear
not, you won’t end up with white streaks through your hair, that is unless like
me you have stupid amounts of grey/white hair already.
So
far it smells great and is a doddle to apply to the hair. The three most important
things for me are the firmness of the hold, how long that hold lasts and how my
hair feels to the touch, after all, I have an annoying habit now my hair is
longer to flick and run my hands through it far more often than I should.
In
terms of hold, the cream does add weight and texture to my hair which in turn
keeps it nicely in style. As it is absorbed and dries it leaves a little bit of
a shine to my hair but it’s far from greasy and for that I’m grateful – there is
nothing worse than touching your hair and then finding that the residue has
turned your hands into a human version of fly paper. Once dried the hold is
firm but not crispy which means that if the style does get blown out by gale
force winds it’s so, so easy to pop back into place.
Applying
first thing in the morning I can play around my hair all day and some ten hours
later the style is still looking top notch. Yeeeeessssssssssss.
With
no hints of flakes on drying, the ease with which you can wash it out and the
fact that after months of using this on and off I’m still nowhere nearly a
fifth of the way down the tub this is great value for money. It does the job
and it does it well. If I had to find a niggle, and it’s a minor niggle, now
that I’m resembling Cousin IT from the Addams Family (see below) unless I
straighten my hair I find that it does curl a touch at the ends. I wouldn’t
expect a hair styling cream to hold that length of hair in place so I can’t and shouldn't be too judgemental.
RECOMMENDED
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| Me, before styling...... |
